The senseless mass shooting in Newtown was a national tragedy. Over the coming weeks, months and even years, America’s sportsmen must participate in the national dialog about responsible gun ownership, and discussions about keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. [1]

Now is not the time for America’s sportsmen to lose our voice. We urge sportsmen around the nation to help identify policies that keep our children, families and neighbors safe while ensuring that our sporting heritage and Second Amendment rights are respected. We believe both can be accomplished.

Now is not the time for hunters to circle the wagons and avoid engaging in this discussion. When it comes to protecting our children, there is no greater matter. And while these violent events cannot be the price for certain freedoms, nor can we blame the Constitutional right to bear arms. Protecting our children and their future is not a partisan ideal, but rather, our collective duty.

Any and all ideas designed to prevent mass shootings should be reviewed, and sportsmen must be involved in that discussion. We provide well-reasoned input based on our history of responsible gun ownership and ethical conduct in the field. Coming from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, we provide a bridge among the various factions as the nation searches for solutions.

In the wake of past gun-related tragedies, sportsmen have often felt stigmatized by non-hunters as supposed enablers of gun violence, and as a result, have withdrawn from the debate. We understandably take a conservative view of our Second Amendment rights – rights that are critical to the future of our sport. At the same time, we are parents, grandparents, sons and daughters, and share the belief that incidents like Newtown are appalling and must be prevented.

Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals has always been the law. Enforcing that law more effectively must become our priority. We should start by making sure that all records of dangerous individuals are entered into a national database, and we should immediately end the background check loophole.

In Colorado, we voted to close the gun-show loophole after the tragedy at Columbine High School. As law-abiding sportsmen, our ability to own firearms and hunt has not been infringed by that law. We still obtain new firearms, and hunt year after year. We also still obtain the means to adequately defend our families and homes.

The Bull Moose Sportsmen’s Alliance was founded to advocate for wildlife conservation and policies that expand opportunities to hunt and fish. We are passionate about our heritage and are also proud supporters of the Second Amendment.

We oppose reinstatement of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban as written, because the original ban was too sweeping and targeted legitimate sporting firearms. But that does not mean we’re opposed to keeping dangerous weapons and high capacity magazines out of dangerous hands. We will defend the rights of sportsmen to own firearms for hunting, as well as our ability to protect our families in our homes. But we believe that we can protect our outdoor heritage and ensure our citizens’ safety at the same time.

Recently, lawmakers with “A” ratings from the NRA have said as much. Senators Mark Warner and Joe Manchin have built careers on protecting gun rights. Their requests are simple and reasonable; to have a conversation on how we can best protect our children from gun violence while honoring our legitimate Second Amendment rights. We agree.

We will be the first to admit that we don’t have all the answers to this complex problem, and in the end, we may not agree with all the policy proposals that will be made. But we can’t be afraid of a gun rights discussion if it offers solutions that protect our children. Without considering options with open minds, our country will be no closer to preventing these shootings than we were before the heartbreak in Newtown.

Sportsmen must help lead our nation forward on a safer path, while ensuring that the hunting values and traditions we learned from our parents and grandparents are protected. We owe it to our children, our neighbors’ children, and the memory of the Newtown children to be part of the solution.
Gaspar Perricone is the founder and co-director of the Bull Moose Sportsmen Alliance, committed to preserving the heritage, traditions, and opportunities of outdoors sportsmen and women. Established in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt and his commitment to conservation, the Denver-based alliance was founded in 2010 and has grown to include member-sportsmen and sportswomen across the United States. http://www.bullmoosesportsmen.org